Do Bird Of Paradise Like Misting?

Birds of Paradise plants are a prized possession for the owners due to their large colorful, show-stopper look. Much of their growth relies on providing them with the correct growing conditions, among which humidity plays a very important role.

Bird of Paradise would benefit from misting as it enjoys humidity around it. They need at least 60% humidity around them to flourish. Try intermittent misting and use a humidifier to keep up with its humidity requirements. Additionally, you can also group them with other humidity-loving plants.

This article will discuss everything you need to know about providing these majestic plants with the right amount of humidity and the correct way to mist them, so they get the required amount of humidity.

Do Bird of Paradise like high humidity?

Birds of Paradise plants originate in the tropical areas of Africa, where the air is extremely hot and humid.

These plants do best in a humidity range over 60%, and the high is the humidity, the better the plants grow in them.

So, when you grow them indoors, you must give them the required humidity to mimic their natural environment.

High humidity around these plants rewards you with glossy, shiny huge leaves that occupy a show-stopper position in your home. 

Do bird of paradise plants enjoy misting?

Misting is done for multiple reasons, which we will discuss further in this article.

If done correctly, it has several benefits, and it can also result in some problems if not done correctly.

Birds of Paradise plants enjoy high humidity and moisture; thus, misting is an extremely important part of their care routine.

However, it needs to be remembered that misting can supplement other humidity-providing techniques like pebble trays and using humidifiers but misting alone will not be able to provide these plants with a high level of humidity.

Misting alone is not effective in increasing humidity levels.

Thus, you need other strategies like grouping plants, using humidifiers, and so on, which I will discuss.

If you live in a highly humid area, then misting every day will help to increase humidity around the plant, but if you live in regions with very dry air and low humidity, misting will not be sufficient.

This is because after misting, the water droplets evaporate in the environment very quickly and do not stay on the plant for longer.

So once they get evaporated, it no longer serves the purpose of increasing the humidity.

Thus its effects are very short-lived.

At the same time, you need to remember that if you live in high-humidity areas already, and the water droplets live on your plant for a long time, that might also lead to unnecessary invitations to pests and bugs to invade your plants.

How to determine the humidity level of your room?

Before you plan the strategies to fix the humidity levels, you must first know the humidity levels at your home.

Our homes generally have dry air and much lower humidity levels than outdoors. 

You need to check the humidity levels at your home, for which you can get a device called a hygrometer which measures the humidity level in the air.

You can install the device in the room where your bird of paradise plant is kept.

Also, you need to know that all the rooms of the house do not have the same humidity levels.

Some rooms, like the kitchen, basement, and bathroom, have higher humidity than bedrooms or study rooms.

Humidity levels in the house also fluctuate according to seasons, temperature, etc.

Thus you need to measure the level, and if you find your home has extremely poor humidity levels, you must ensure you adapt techniques like pebble trays or humidifiers to boost the humidity around the plants.

The effects of low humidity on Bird of Paradise plants and how misting can prevent this

If the bird of paradise plant does not get the required amount of humidity, it will exhibit several signs of stress.

• Droopy leaves – When the plant needs more humidity, the leaves show their sadness by drooping.
• They look limp and weak because of being thirsty.
• Split leaves – One distinctive feature in bird of paradise plants is dry air, and lack of humidity makes the large leaves split.
• Dry and crispy foliage – Low humidity results in dry and wrinkled leaves, which turn crispy and shriveled.
• Brown and yellow edges – The yellow and brown edges around the leaves of the plants show signs of low humidity.

Misting is a habit many plant owners swear by, and some do not like.

It has both positive and negative sides, so you need to know a few points before carrying them on.

Misting is not a long-term solution to increase humidity and offers it for a very short while, so do not rely on it solely to increase humidity levels.

Also, if the foliage stays wet for a long time, it can lead to fungus and bacteria invading the plant.

But misting your plants now and then helps to keep the leaves clean so that the foliage can photosynthesize effectively and absorb the sunlight better.

Tips for misting Bird of Paradise plants, including the best time of day

Here are a few tips for misting your Bird of Paradise correctly:

• Always mist your Bird of Paradise in the morning so the water droplets get time to evaporate and the leaves do not stay wet at night.
• Mist with filtered water only so salts and minerals do not accumulate on the foliage.
• While misting, spray on both the leaves top and underside.
• While misting once in a while, add a few drops of neem oil in the water so that the leaves stay clean and it repels bugs and fungus.

How to create a humid environment for your Bird of Paradise plant when misting is not practical?

I will now discuss the most popular and effective ways to boost hydration in your bird of paradise.

You already know that you can mist your Bird of Paradise to take care of its humidity requirements.

But when you can’t do that for practical reasons, consider any of the below-mentioned ways.

1. Grouping humidity-loving plants together

Grouping plants together creates a cozy, comfortable environment similar to their natural environment.

When they are grouped, they give out a lot of moisture during transpiration, which helps to create a highly humid zone for the plants.

However, before following this process, ensure all the plants are healthy, and they do not have any bugs or pests on them, as by grouping them, they can easily spread among the other plants.

2. Add a humidifier

Humidifiers are the most reliable and effective way to increase humidity in the air around plants.

This might be an investment, but your plants will surely thank you.

Humidifiers are small device that needs to be filled with water, and it releases moisture in the room and helps increase the humidity around your plants.

3. Adding an aquarium near your plant

Another way to increase humidity is by keeping an aquarium around your plants.

As the aquarium’s water evaporates in the air, the room’s humidity will go up.

Another important benefit of keeping aquariums in your home is that the aquarium’s water is extremely good for your plants.

The water is rich in nitrogen and is an excellent fertilizer source for your plants.

So when you change the water, water your plants with it instead of throwing it away.

4. Pebble trays

Pebbletrays are yet another effective way to boost your plants’ humidity and keep them happy.

Before you wonder how to prepare them, let me tell you they are easy to make.

All you need are the following:

• A tray
• Water 
• Some pebbles

Now layer the tray with the pebbles and pour water to the brim.

Very carefully put the pot of the bird of paradise plant on the pebble layer. 

Be very careful that the water level does not directly touch the bottom of the pot, as that will make the soil soggy and lead to overwatering and root rot problems.

As the tray’s water evaporates, the plant will stay humid and happy.

One problem with this method is that it is difficult to lift if the pot is too big.

And it is also necessary to clean the tray and the pebbles once in a while to not let algae and bugs breed in them.

Also, if the water touches the bottom of the pot, it can lead to root rot problems. 

5. Relocate to high-humidity rooms

Moving your plant to a high-humidity area in your home is another effective way to give the plant more humidity.

Areas like bathrooms, laundry rooms, and kitchens have higher humidity than the rest of the house.

However, before moving, you must ensure those areas have sufficient light and ventilation, as birds of paradise need a lot of sunlight to flourish.

The plant will not stay healthy if your humid bathroom has low sunlight. 

6. Place a bowl with water around the plant

This is also another way to increase humidity around the plant.

Take a big bowl of water and keep it near the birds of paradise.

With the evaporation process, the humidity around the plant will increase. 

7. Use moss poles

Moss poles are added to plants not just to give them the required support but also because they give humidity to the plants and help them grow more voluptuously.

They are known for their ability to retain water so while watering your plant, also water the moss poles.

As the water evaporates, the leaves will absorb the humidity from the plant. 

8. Miniature greenhouses

There is a miniature greenhouse available at stores which is built in a way that traps moisture inside the controlled greenhouse.

This can help increase the humidity level and create a natural space for the plants to grow.

You can buy them from many places or DIY them with glass or plastic boxes.

They act as fantastic décor pieces and give your plant a perfect living condition. 

9. Reduce the temperature of the room

Yet another way to increase humidity around your plant is by reducing its temperature.

High temperature holds less moisture, so if the room temperature is reduced, it will hold more moisture around the plant.

However, you need to be careful as birds of paradise are warmth-loving plants, so you should not lower it too much so that it shocks the plant. 

Problems of misting

Misting can lead to multiple problems:

• If the environment is already humid, misting it further will make it a breeding ground for bugs to attack your plant.
• Constantly wet leaves can also invade disease-causing germs.
• If the surrounding is too dry, only misting will not help increase the humidity, and you need to resort to other more effective ways like installing humidifiers and greenhouses.

Final words 

Humidity is vital if you are growing a tropical plant like Birds of Paradise in your home. These plants love humidity; therefore, you should mist them multiple times every week, but remember that misting alone is not an effective way to increase humidity.

Along with misting, follow the other techniques that suit your situation to increase humidity. Install long-term solutions like humidifiers, mini-greenhouses, and pebble trays, and enjoy misting them as and when required.

 Also, remember after misting, the plant should not stay wet for a long time to avoid pests and fungus. You can also mix some Neem oil while misting to keep the plant healthy.

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Reference: Wikipedia, University of Florida, Strelitzia reginae, Britannica.